Benvolio
by JediMasterTabster
Summary: Have you ever wondered what Benvolio's take on everything was? Here's Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio style.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _I'm a Romeo and Juliet lover. Through and through. No, that doesn't mean I think it is Shakespeare's best play, because I know by far it is not. I've always loved Benvolio's character. So I figured, it's about time I wrote the story from his point of view. I'm keeping it in it's original setting, but using modern day English. Why might you ask? Well, that question has a simple answer. Because I am not nearly good enough at old English yet to even attempt to write a story using it. For me to attempt, with my few skills, would be to butcher the language that I find makes Shakespeare's work so beautiful. So here goes. I hope you enjoy it._

**Chapter One: Marketplace Brawl**

It was getting more difficult to keep the peace between our two houses; not that I had really done anything to keep the peace. I tried, often as I may, but all to often I would get caught up in the action, and have to fight in order to defend myself. Of course, logically speaking, I could have stopped fighting once my defense was no longer needed, but when you get caught up in the moment, the burning hatred now a heated passion inside of you, stopping seems to be an impossible feat.

Still, these daily fights were starting to eat away at my conscience. How many times had a citizen been injured because of our daily brawls? It didn't help that Tybalt, kinsman to the Lord Capulet, had no desire for peace. There was nothing I could do or say that would stop him from starting a fight. I suppose if I truly desired peace, to the very depths of my soul, I would allow him to kill me without taking a single strike back. That would be a true hero of peace. But I am not a hero, especially not one of peace. Though, dying for peace is something I could see my cousin Romeo doing.

He detested this feud more than any other I have met. He's probably the wisest one out of the whole Montague line. If it were up to him, this feud would be ended in an instant. Unfortunately, his parents don't exactly see eye-to-eye with him on this topic.

No-one's quite sure why this feud is still going on, or what started it all. It began years before my time, probably years before Lord and Lady Montague's time as well. It's rumoured that it started over a love affair, between the son of the Capulets and the Daughter of the Montagues.

My walk towards the marketplace was coming to it's end, as I reached my destination. Ironic it seems, that just as I was thinking about peace, I heard shouting coming from the middle of a crowd. It was safe to assume that once again, Abraham and Balthasar had come face to face with Sampson and Gregory, and another public brawl was about to begin. I quickened my pace, then broke into a run, intent on breaking up the brawl before it began.

I arrived just in time, for they all had their swords drawn, glaring at one another.

"Part you fools! What do you think you're doing?" I pulled out my sword, and jumped between the four. "Are you really prepared to face the consequences of another public brawl, over nothing?" I demanded.

I heard someone approaching behind me, and felt a cold shiver run down my spine. No-one other than Tybalt could send that chill through my body.

"Well, well well... Sword already drawn, and ready to fight Benvolio? Forget these fools, and face your death." Tybalt sneered.

I turned slowly to face him, and raised my sword in surrender. "I'm doing nothing other than attempting to keep the peace. Put away your sword or help me keep peace." I was surprised at my bravery to speak these words to this man. I was no stranger to his skills as a swordsman, and to be honest, I knew I was not quite good enough to defeat him, if ever it came down to a duel to the death, without the chance of escape.

Tybalt snickered. "Peace? You talk of peace? I hate that word, as much as I hate hell, and every one of you dog's called Montague." He smirked quickly, and shouted "Coward!" as he lunged at me.

I threw up my sword to block quickly, and the force of his blow caused me to stumble backwards. The four servants had begun to fight, and I realized there was no chance to escape.

I was vaguely aware of the fact that a crowd had surrounded us further, with servants from each of the houses, cheering on their Lord's kinsmen.

I don't know how long into the fight it was, but I was sure both Lady and Lord Montague and Capulet were now present at the fight. It was inevitable that any time a brawl broke out, they would be there almost immediately. My uncle would be furious with me afterwards. These fights were giving both families a bad name, and my uncle had been attempting to build the Montague name a higher reputation than that of the Capulets. Explaining to him that I had not started the fight would be useless however. It was better just to put up with him lecturing me, and get it all over with.

I was holding up in the fight, but that was about it. If the fight were to go on much longer, he would have beaten me down.

Fortunately for me, Prince Escalus arrived within moments of that realization crossing my mind. I heard his shout, though not his words, but it would not be hard to guess what he had said. Probably the same thing he says every time; 'Rebellious subjects, drop your swords! Peace between enemies! Throw your weapons to the ground!'.

I wanted to throw my sword down immediately, beg mercy of the Prince, but I knew Tybalt would not stop until he had gotten in a few more jabs. I dove to the ground, and rolled far enough away that I gcould drop my sword and raise my hands in surrender to Prince Escalus. Tybalt wouldn't dare attack me now.

Our servants had already stopped fighting, and were hanging their heads in shame. As the fighting stopped, my Aunt and Uncle came running over to me, not looking too pleased. I happened to glance in Tybalt's direction and saw that his Aunt and Uncle were doing the same.

So similar, and yet enemies to the very bone. I don't understand it.

I looked back up at the Prince, awaiting the lecture, and consequences Escalus would give us this time.

Escalus glared at the two of us accusingly and began. "Three civil brawls!" he exclaimed, disgust evident in his voice. His gaze diverted to Lord Montague and Lord Capulet. "Started because of the feud of hatred between the two of you, have thus caused three fights which have disturbed the streets of Verona. You have disrupted the marketplace of the citizens too many times." His gaze reverted back to the guilty parties. "If you ever disturb the city streets again, your lives will pay the price of peace. For now, you may go." He looked back at the Lords. "Capulet, you will come with me now, and Montague, you later this afternoon, where we shall discuss the further details of this case." Again, the intent gaze returned to myself and Tybalt. "Once again, if you disturb the peace, you will be put to death."

With that last comment, he turned towards his carriage, followed by Capulet, who sent an icy glare towards Tybalt before disappearing behind the crowd of the Prince's attendants.

As the crowds parted, my Uncle approached me, and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Who started this quarrel today nephew? Where were you when it began?"

I tried not to look surprised that he was giving me the chance to explain. Perhaps some of Romeo's words had begun to strike Lord Montague as the truth.

I sighed and looked at him. "When I approached the market place Uncle, Capulet's servants and your servants were about to fight. I saw them, and drew my sword to part them. Tybalt arrived instantly, sword drawn, and ready to fight me. I tried to have him assist me in keeping the peace, but he attacked me. I did nothing but fight in defense until the Prince parted us."

My Aunt seemed very flustered at hearing this. "Oh, where is my Romeo? Have you seen him today Benvolio?" she sighed. "I am comforted by the fact that he was not present at this quarrel."

I nodded. Tybalt would have attacked Romeo instantly, had he seen him there. "About an hour before dawn, I decided to take a walk, unable to sleep. I saw Romeo underneath the grove of sycamores, and tried to approach him, but he fled. I had no desire to chase after him if he was to ignore me."

I probably should have been more persistent in chasing Romeo down this morning, but this was becoming a regular occurrence, and Romeo refused to tell me what was depressing him so much. I wasn't about to push him to tell me either.

I glanced over at my Uncle, who's face had taken on a saddened expression. I suppose he too had noticed his son's depression of late.

"He's been there often in the mornings, seen by servants around the house. They say he does nothing but sigh softly as he walks, and, as soon as the sun rises, he steals away to his room, where he locks himself up for the day, doing nothing but writing. I am not sure what could help remove this depression. Good counsel maybe? But where to find that is the question."

"Do you know the cause for his depression?" I asked. I myself was curious, but I had an inkling of an idea as to what it may be.

He sighed. "No, I don't know... and have been unable to discover the cause either."

"Have you tried asking him about it?" I figured he probably had, but I still thought I should pose the question just in case.

Nodding, Uncle replied. "I have tried often, as well have friends. But he refuses to say a word. He keeps counsel to himself only, and will not even share so much as a sign of where his distress is rooted."

In the distance, I could see Romeo walking through the marketplace. Perhaps it was time I tried to talk to him about this distress. "He is over at the other end of the marketplace now. If you'll excuse me, Aunt and Uncle, I will go and try to discover the source of his grievances."

Uncle nodded once again. "Very well. Perhaps he will listen to your council... you and he have been close since childhood."

With a polite nod, my Aunt and Uncle left me, and I turned towards Romeo, silently praying that he would at least open up to me.


	2. Chapter 2

I approached my cousin with caution, unsure of whether or not he would run. As I came near, he glanced up, then looked away, but did not make any attempts to leave. I sighed. At least now he would let me have some words with him. He looked distraught, which was nothing new. "Good morning Cousin." I greeted with a smile.

He looked back over at me, offering no friendly smile in return. "Is the day so young?" he asked, sighing heavily. It seemed he was sure more hours had passed than had actually gone by.

"It's not quite nine yet."

Romeo sighed again. "Sadness makes the day seem long." His gaze diverted to the direction I had approached from. "Was that my father that left so quickly?"

So he had noticed me before I was near. I should have expected that. Romeo noticed everything. It was my turn to sigh. It truly tore me up inside to see Romeo so down. I longed for my companion in our youth, the one who laughed, and smiled all the time, and would rarely be found in a depressed mood. "It was." I could have tried lying, saved Romeo from hearing that his father would not approach him to say hello when he was in this mood, but Romeo would have seen through me. I hesitated a moment, thinking over what to say. I had not yet tried directly asking him what was bothering him so deeply, and decided perhaps it was time to give it a try. "What sadness makes this day drag by?"

He began to walk slowly towards the market, motioning for me to follow. "Not having that which, having,"

"In love?" I interrupted. The look on his face as he spoke shone fiercely of something to do with love, and I couldn't help but feel excitement bubbling up inside me. Was my younger cousin finally in love?

"Out—"

"Of love?" I interrupted again. I should have let him speak, but I can't help interrupting when I become excited. It just happens. Strange how I can go from thinking so logically before I speak when it comes to a potential battle, but when someone is trying to tell me something, I simply voice whatever thoughts on their comments come to mind.

A hint of amusement tugged at the corner of Romeo's mouth. At last, some sort of expression other than sadness! "Out of her favour where I am in love."

Ouch. I knew the feeling. I had been in love once too, and that love had been rejected. Of course, ladies over the age of twenty rarely look to a thirteen year old to satisfy their needs. Especially not one as bold as I was. "Love that seems so perfect in our eyes often has the hardest bite when the object of our affection reveals their lack of returning affections."

Romeo glanced sideways at me, a look of confusion on his face for a brief moment. I had never told him before of the woman I had once loved, and I knew that it would surprise him to hear that I knew how he felt.

"Alas, her view is muffled still," he said sadly. "If only through my eyes she could see what I feel." He stopped. "Where shall we eat?" He looked around the markets, his eyes falling on the blood that had dripped from one of our servants wounds, and the smashed vegetables which littered the ground. It did not surprise me that the mess had not yet been cleaned up. It would probably remain there most of the day, until the poor and homeless had scrounged most of the bits of food that were still edible. "Oh me! What happened here?" He shook his head slowly in disgust. "Never mind. I've heard it all before. So much to do with hate, yet moreso with love: Why then a fighting love, with a loving hate? A feud from nothing first created! A heavy lightness! Serious vanity on both parts! Chaos formed of things which seem right! Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health! Wide awake sleep, that is not what this is! This love I feel, that feels no love in this—"

I laughed nervously, something I always did when Romeo went into his wild analogies. If this was what he spent his time thinking about, then it was no wonder he was always depressed. In my opinion, he could have simply said that he hated this feud, instead of going into a long poetic description of it all.

Romeo glared at me. "What is it that you laugh?"

We engaged into our usual argument about the topic, but my mind was only half paying attention. If I were to fully engage into the argument, I would have to reveal to Romeo how much of a coward I truly was, and I was not quite sure I was ready to reveal that fact to my younger cousin just yet. "No cousin, I'd rather weep." That was partially true anyhow. After all, what does a coward do better than cry about the fact that they are too afraid to do much else?

"Cry about what?" Romeo asked sharply.

"At the oppression of a heart as good as yours." That wasn't really a lie either. I hated that Romeo was dragged into all this. Funny how a conversation about Romeo's unrequited love could lead to an argument about the feud.

"Such is the transgression of being a lover. Which is something you do spread, and press, with yourself onto me: This love you have shown me, adds more grief to my own grief. Love is a smoke raised by the fumes of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being a sea, vexed and nourished with lovers' tears; For what else could it be? It is a madness most discreet, a choking gall, and a preserved sweet."

Once again, he was going off on a tangent speaking the way he writes. I'm not quite sure he ever realized that I never understood a single word of those tangents, past the first two or three sentences. I was never much of a scholar, and especially not when it came to the language arts. The only way I could ever tell even somewhat how he was trying to express himself was from the emotion in his voice. At this particular moment, though he had been directing his anger towards me, it seemed he was now off somewhat in his own world, not so much angry at me anymore, but at everything to do with this and life in general.

He stopped suddenly and tilted his head towards me. "Farewell, my cousin." His voice was almost empty of emotion at this point, and I knew if I did not do something he would retreat back to his house and wallow in his depression in secret. He turned and began to walk away slowly.

"Wait! I am coming." I said. "And if you leave me here, you wrong me in doing so!"

Romeo stopped and looked back at me, smiling sadly. "I have lost myself," he said softly, a hint of sad amusement in his voice. "Romeo is not here, he's gone somewhere else." His eyes grew distant, and I knew he was thinking of her. Rosaline. Though he had not told me as of yet how he felt about her, I knew it was Rosaline he had longed for. I often saw him staring after her, passion and longing burning in his eyes.

"Tell me in your sadness, who is it that you love?" I asked, approaching him.

"What, should I groan and tell you?" I could swear I saw a smile itching at the corner of his mouth. Had I actually brought up the topic at the right moment?

"Groan? Why no! But sadly, tell me who it is."

Romeo shook his head. "You make a sick man in sadness create a will: Ah! An ill word urged to someone who is in his own way ill!" He gave me a sidewards glance and grinned goofily. "In sadness cousin, I do love a woman."

I rolled my eyes. How could he go from dead serious one moment to jesting so much the next? "I aimed in that direction when I thought you loved."

Romeo grinned again. It did feel good to be jesting playfully with him again, and see him smiling. We had done that very rarely as of late. "You're a very good mark-man! She is fair, the one I love."

"A fair mark dear cousin," I said with my own grin, "Is often soon hit."

Romeo sighed and looked towards the sky, the happy love-crazed look returning to his face. "Well in that hit you missed. For she will not be hit with Cupid's arrow; she has Dian's wit; And is strongly armed with the proof of her chastity; From love's weak and childish bow she is unharmed. She will not go along with love's terms, nor will she wait for the encounter of assailing eyes, nor accept the seduction of gold to her lap. Oh she is rich in beauty, but poor, that when she dies, her beauty will go with it alone."

Wow. When Romeo described Rosaline, she did seem like such a fair maiden. I myself had never been attracted to her, but were she all that Romeo saw in her, I probably would have been throwing myself at her feet and proclaiming 'Take me I'm yours!'. Of course, if she was turning down Romeo, who was probably one of the best looking young men in Verona, then I highly doubt she would have taken me up on my offer. "So she has sworn to still live chaste?"

Romeo nodded. "She had. And in that swearing, lies to waste all her beauty. For someone as beautiful, wise and fair as her should not swear away from those who love them. At least, were she to do such a thing, she should not have so much beauty, for it is a wretched thing to make someone despair from her vow of untouchable love. For it is in that vow that I die, and only live to tell of it now."

I shook my head slowly. Romeo was far too hopeless a romantic. If Rosaline made that vow, chances were she would not go back by it, unless somewhere God struck her by lighting and told her to fall in love and marry a man. Which gave me an idea. The Capulets, as I had heard, were to be throwing a party at their household that very evening. If I could persuade Romeo to come, then maybe he would meet someone who would take his mind off Rosaline. "Listen to me Romeo, forget about her."

He sighed again. "Oh, teach me how I should forget to think."

"By giving liberty to your eyes!" I exclaimed. "Watch for other beauties."

Another sigh. Man did he have it bad. "How could one forget a beauty so fair, a woman so incredible? It is not possible, that once a man has seen beauty such as hers to simply forget about it. My dear cousin, not even you could teach me to do that."

I raised an eyebrow. Was that a challenge? Because I knew, if I could just con him along, with all the beautiful woman that would be present at the Capulet's party, he was bound to find someone else. He was only eighteen. I was only three years older than him, and I certainly had not forgotten what it was like to be an eighteen year old male. At that age, whether you fight it or not, there is one thing that will always have your attention, and that's a good looking woman. "I'll take that challenge, or else I'll owe you greatly."

Romeo laughed. "And how, may I ask, do you intend to do that?"

I grinned. "Tonight. Dress in your best costume you have. The Capulet's are having a costume party. And we're all going."

"Who's we?" he asked suspiciously.

"You, me, Abraham, Balthasar," I paused, for a moment. "Oh yeah, and of course, Mercutio."

As I predicted, Romeo brightened at the mention of Mercutio's name. They had been close friends for years, and I knew Romeo had not seen him in a while. "I suppose, if Mercutio will be there, I could make an appearance."

"Great. Now let's go get that food we talked of earlier, I'm starving."


End file.
